1922
9881

FROM THE NOTES OF L. A. FOTIEVA
July 12, 1922

Lidia Aleksandrovna! You can congratulate me on my recovery. Proof: my handwriting, which is beginning to become human again. Begin preparing books for me (and send me lists): 1) scholarly works, 2) fiction, 3) politics (the last of these later than all, since it is still not permitted).

Greetings
Lenin

LETTER TO A. I. SVIDERSKII, COMMISSARIAT OF WORKERS' AND PEASANTS' INSPECTION
August 1922

Comrade Sviderskii!

Thank you for the materials sent.

I shall hardly be able to read them.

If you need it, write.

A.

D. Tsiurupa has fallen ill with nerves (those famous Germans treated him only for his heart) and has been left in Germany for a long time.

We must get to work without him; think seriously about who and how; consult with Stalin.

Your Lenin

P.S. I believe you should first recover completely, have all your teeth put in and learn to eat with them, and then you must throw yourself into the work of the Commissariat of Workers' and Peasants' Inspection with all your might. Assemble reliable people, 2–3, from the collegium, give them the task to begin at once a r a d i c a l transformation (instead of 8,000—2,000, improving quality; seriously study normalization, etc.).

P.S. Fossa, please, "deflect" very politely. I cannot promise a meeting.

NOTES TO DEPUTIES OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS
1893
September 17, 1922

From the newspapers I see that there is a desperate situation with the Donbass and with Baku. What do you think? Should we not risk taking some millions from the gold reserve? Would it not be worse to let the matter slide, to leave it without assistance? Perhaps you could order a b r i e f (no more than 5–10 lines) memorandum so that I can clearly understand the situation?

Lenin

LENIN MISCELLANY
25616
September 25, 1922

In my opinion, it is absolutely necessary to conduct a one-day census of all officials and employees of the city of Moscow*. We had one, but it was far too long ago.

To do this with a minimum of expenses (only for paper, and even then it is possible to take part from the general reserves of the Central Statistical Administration), it is necessary to obligate all those receiving salary from the Soviet power and t r u s t s to provide i n f o r m a t i o n t h e m s e l v e s (according to a brief program, which the Central Statistical Administration m u s t d e v e l o p w i t h i n a w e e k , t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e C o m m i s s a r i a t o f W o r k e r s ' a n d P e a s a n t s ' I n s p e c t i o n , t h e S t a t e P l a n n i n g C o m m i s s i o n , e t c . ) o n p e r s o n a l c a r d s . U n t i l t h e y p r o v i d e p r o p e r l y c o m p l e t e d i n f o r m a t i o n , n o s a l a r y s h o u l d b e p a i d t o a n y o n e.

Then we shall get results quickly (penalty for delay and for unsatisfactory completion).

Our apparatus is such a monstrosity that it must be repaired radically. Without a census it is impossible. And the Central Statistical Administration deserves a thorough cleaning for its academicism: they sit and write "volumes," and give no thought to urgent matters...

Lenin

Apply mobilization, if necessary, by special decree. Mobilize all employees of the Central Statistical Administration and a certain percentage of others.

MEMORANDUM TO THE COMMISSARIAT OF JUSTICE
September 25, 1922

To the Deputy of Kurskii (if Kurskii is not available)

What are you doing to publish a compilation of the laws of the Soviet power? Is the codification department asleep or preparing something for the five-year jubilee?

It is necessary to wake it up and write me 2 words.

Lenin

* In his speech at the Fourth Session of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, discussing our state apparatus, V. I. Lenin cited data from the census of employees conducted on his initiative (Works, vol. XXVII, pp. 320–321). V. I. Lenin also mentions this census in the "Outline of an Undelivered Speech at the Tenth All-Russian Congress of Soviets" (Works, vol. XXVII, pp. 383–384).